WT/GC/W/835  
G/SPS/GEN/1758/Rev.9  
 
11 November 2021  
(21-8568) Page: 1/2 
General Council  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY DECLARATION FOR THE  
TWELFTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE:  RESPONDING TO MODERN SPS CHALLENGES  
SUBMISSION BY ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BELIZE, BRAZIL, BURKINA FASO, CABO VERDE, 
CANADA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CÔTE D'IVOIRE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC,  
ECUADOR, EL  SALVADOR, THE GAMBIA, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, JAPAN, MEXICO,  
NEW ZEALAND, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PER U, SENEGAL, SINGAPORE, TAJIKISTAN, TOGO,  
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UKRAINE, URUGUAY AND VIET NAM  
The following communication, received on 11 November 2021 , is being circulated at the request of 
the delegations of Argentina, Australia, Belize, Brazil, B urkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, 
Colombia, Costa  Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El  Salvador, The Gambia, 
Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, Singapore, 
Tajikistan, Togo, the United Sta tes of America, Ukraine, Uruguay and Viet Nam.1 
_______________  
MINISTERIAL DECLARATION  
1. The twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference takes place following the 25th anniversary of the 
Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agree ment) — an 
opportune point to reflect on the successes achieved since its adoption, and to recognize the 
challenges ahead resulting from emerging pressures that may significantly impact international trade 
in food, animals and plants.  
 
2. We wish to take this  opportunity to underline that the SPS Agreement and its provisions are 
as relevant and applicable today as they were in 1995, and they continue to safeguard the right for 
Members to take measures necessary for the protection of human, animal or plant life  or health.  
 
3. In addition to this, the proper implementation of the SPS Agreement by Members supports 
rural livelihoods, facilitates trade, and supports sustainable agricultural growth. Of particular note to 
these outcomes are the contributions of the SPS A greement's provisions requiring Members to be 
transparent in taking SPS measures; and that these measures be based on scientific principles, 
applied only to the extent necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health, and not be 
maintained withou t sufficient scientific evidence, including through an assessment of risk.  
 
4. We recognize that the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS 
Committee) has been instrumental in advancing the implementation of the SPS Agreement, 
particularly as it relates to improving the transparency of SPS measures through increased 
notification among Members. Looking to the future, the SPS Committee will continue to undertake 
valuable work, and Members remain committed to the continued enhancem ent of the 
implementation of the SPS  Agreement.  
 
5. We reaffirm the rights and obligations of Members established by the SPS Agreement and call 
for Members' strengthened adherence to the SPS Agreement to support international trade while 
ensuring the protecti on of human, animal and plant life or health.  
 
1 Please note that the original version of this document was circulated on 28 February  2020 to the SPS 
Committee as G/SPS/GEN/1758 . WT/GC/W/835 • G/SPS/GEN/1758/Rev.9  
 
- 2 - 
 
  6. The Membership acknowledges that the global agricultural landscape has evolved since the 
adoption of the SPS Agreement in 1995. This evolution has brought about a variety of new 
opportunities and emerging press ures for the international trade in food, animals and plants, 
including but not limited to:  
- expanding global populations, as well as increased movement of agricultural products to 
address changing population structures and distributions;  
- increased pac e of innovation in tools and technologies;  
- changing climatic conditions and associated stresses on food production;  
- growing importance of sustainable agricultural practices and production systems, including 
their contribution to addressing climate ch ange and biodiversity conservation;  
- shifting pressures due to the spread of pests, diseases, disease -carrying organisms, 
or disease -causing organisms; and  
- continued application of SPS measures that would constitute a disguised restriction on 
internati onal trade.  
7. To that end, the Ministerial Conference instructs the SPS Committee to further enhance the 
implementation of the SPS Agreement in an effort to better manage issues related to international 
trade in food, animals and plants by undertaking a work  programme, open to all Members and 
Observers, consisting of new efforts to identify: (1) challenges in the implementation of the SPS 
Agreement and the mechanisms available to address them; and (2) the impacts of emerging 
pressures on the application of th e SPS Agreement.  
 
8. Through the work programme, the Ministerial Conference envisions that the SPS Committee 
should explore the following themes, including but not limited to:  
- How to facilitate sustainable intensification of agricultural production  and international trade 
to support global food security, including through the adoption and use of  safe, innovative 
plant-protection products and veterinary medicines, and by encouraging the use of 
international standards, guidelines, and recommendations deve loped by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the International 
Plant Protection Convention as the basis of harmonized SPS measures, including on maximum 
residue limits for veterinary drugs and pesticides, to prot ect human, animal or plant life or 
health.  
- How to support basing SPS measures on scientific evidence and principles including where 
international standards, guidelines, or recommendations do not exist or are not appropriate; 
and how to promote the use by  Members of principles employed by the international standard 
setting bodies for considering scientific uncertainty in risk analysis.  
- How to enhance the safe international trade in food, animals and plants and products thereof 
through the adaptation of S PS measures to regional conditions, including pest -or disease -free 
areas and areas of low pest or disease prevalence which can strengthen Members' ability to 
protect plant and animal life or health through efforts to limit the spread of pests such as the 
Mediterranean fruit fly, diseases such as African swine fever, disease -carrying organisms, or 
disease -causing organisms.  
- How to encourage cooperation with observer organizations that support the work of the 
SPS Committee and the international standard set ting bodies through technical exchanges 
and assistance in the context of this work programme.  
- How to increase participation of and support for the special needs of developing and least 
developed country Members in the development and application of SPS measures; and in 
particular, to increase awareness of and sensitivity to the impacts of SPS measu res on the 
export possibilities of such Members.  
- Other topics as identified over the course of the work programme or as a result of emerging 
sanitary or phytosanitary pressures or risks worldwide.  
9. This work programme does not launch the negotiation of ne w obligations, nor re -open or 
amend the SPS  Agreement.  
 
10. The SPS Committee will address the outcomes of this work programme and report on key 
findings and actions undertaken as a result of this work to the thirteenth Ministerial Conference with 
recommendati ons, as appropriate.  
__________